n8 The Study of Animal Life PART i 



if we use the word in a sense wide enough to include those 

 who collect, modify, and store the various fruits of the 

 earth. 



In illustrating these industries, I shall follow a charming 

 volume by Frederic Houssay, Les Industries des Animaux, 

 Paris, 1890. 



i. Hunting. Of this primary activity there are many 

 kinds. The crocodile lies in wait by the water's edge, 

 the python hangs like a lian from the tree, the octopus 

 lurks in a nook among the rocks, and the ant-lion 

 (Myrmeleori) digs in the sand a pitfall for unwary 

 insects. The angler- fish (Lophtus piscatorius) is some- 

 what protectively coloured as he lies on the sand among 

 the seaweeds ; on his back three filaments dangle, and 

 possibly suggest worms to curious little fishes, which, 

 venturing near, are engulfed by the angler's horrid maw, 

 and firmly gripped by jaws with backward-bending teeth. 

 Many animals prowl about in search of easy prey eggs 

 of birds, sleeping beasts, and small creatures like white 

 ants ; others would be burglars, like the Death's Head 

 Moth (Sphinx atropos) who seeks to slink into the homes 

 of the bees ; others are full of wiles, witness the cunning fox 

 and the wide-awake crow. Many, however, are hunters by 

 open profession, notably the carnivorous birds and mammals. 

 If these hunters could speak we should hear.of many strange 

 exploits ; such, for instance, as that of a large spider which 

 landed a small fish. The ins and outs of their ways are 

 most interesting, especially to the student of comparative 

 intelligence. Think of the Indian Toxotes, a fish which 

 squirts drops of water on insects and brings them down 

 most effectively; several birds which let shells drop from 

 a height, e.g. the Greek eagle (Gypaetos barbatus\ which 

 killed ^Eschylus by letting a tortoise drop on his head; 

 the grey-shrike (Lam'us excubitor), which spikes its victims 

 on thorns ; and, strangest perhaps, the slave-making expedi- 

 tions of the Amazon ants. All strength and wiles not- 

 withstanding, the chase is often by no means easy ; the 

 hare grows swift as well as the fox, many grow cautious 

 like trou.t in a much -fished stream, scouts and sentinels 



